TWO schoolboys were set upon by a gang of 15 teens who beat them over the heads with a belt and a metal bar, a court heard this week.

The terrified youngsters were chased and then viciously beaten in Craddocks Parade, Ashstead, leaving both of them hospitalised and one needing stitches to his forehead.

Though nine boys were arrested for the vicious assault, which took place in October 2008, only two, Joshua Brown, 18, and a 17-year-old were ever charged.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to the offence before magistrates and was given an 18-month community order.

But Brown, of Cox Lane, Epsom, denied his involvement until he changed his plea to guilty of affray on Tuesday, less than one week before he faced trial at Guildford Crown Court.

Elizabeth Dean, prosecuting, said: “The two 15-year-olds noticed a large number of boys leaving the railway station who were in pursuit of them.

“The group surrounded the two.

“One of the group had a metal bar and struck one of the teens in the face”.

Another of the large gang was wielding a belt and he used this to hit the other 15-year-old in the face, it was heard.

Cyrus Shroff, defending Brown, said that he was not part of the gang but had bumped into some friends in the area then gone over to see what was happening and inadvertently become involved in a scuffle.

He said: “My client has had this hanging over his head for some time.

“It wasn’t pre-planned and he did not carry a weapon”.

Brown, who was married last year, only changed his plea after Recorder Simon Oliver gave an indication that he would not sentence him to more than 12 weeks in prison at the most.

After hearing from probation that the semi-literate traveller posed a low risk of harm to the public, Recorder Oliver sentenced him to a 12-month community order.

He said: “What you have to do in the future is to remember how horrible it feels to be standing there and if you commit any further offences standing there will feel just as horrible but the judge might not be so lenient.

“Remember you have two doors, one in front of you and one behind you which goes straight to the cells.

“Remember just how dreadful it feels, how your stomach is churning at the thought of it”.

Brown was ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work and as part of that he will be given help with his reading and writing.